BIG TEN AND SEC BACK COLLEGE SPORTS BILL AFTER SPENDING CAP DOUBLED

The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference announced support for the Protect College Sports Act on Friday following negotiations with federal lawmakers. Presidents and chancellors from both conferences voted to endorse the legislation, reversing their previous opposition. The about-face came after days of intense negotiations involving U.S. senators and conference executives, culminating in an 11th-hour agreement reached on Friday evening. A joint statement from both conferences confirmed their backing: "The Big Ten Conference and Southeastern Conference support the Protect College Sports Act as currently drafted, following detailed and productive negotiations with Senators Cruz, Cantwell and Schmitt, and their respective staffs."

The central compromise that secured the conferences' support involved doubling the allowable annual player spending limit. Schools would now be permitted to spend up to $48.8 million per year on athletic rosters under the bill, compared with the current $21.3 million cap. The $48.8 million figure breaks down into three categories: $21.3 million for direct player pay, $22.5 million in a new retention fund designed to prevent star athletes transferring, and $5 million allocated to women's and Olympic sports to meet federal gender equity requirements. The negotiations also produced strengthened language intended to prevent schools from circumventing the spending cap through third-party arrangements, requiring school-affiliated sponsors and apparel brands to certify that their deals with athletes are independent and not directed by the institution.

The negotiations involved White House engagement, with U.S. President Donald Trump communicating his intent through intermediaries to publicly criticise the conferences if they continued opposing the bill. The conferences had previously missed two consecutive deadlines set by lawmakers to declare their position on the revised legislation. The new attestation requirements for NIL deals build upon existing provisions in the bill related to multimedia rights partners such as Learfield and Playfly. The conferences' endorsement substantially advances the legislation's prospects in Congress.